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Monday, July 2, 2012

A few weeks ago, we spent a week on St. George Island, Florida with Joey's parents. We had a wonderful vacation - plenty of time for playing in the waves, reading outside on the porch, walks on the beach, and of course plenty of ice cream was consumed nightly. :)

Whenever we go on vacation with Joey's family, I get to be in charge of the food, and I had a great time planning the week's meals. This year I only cooked 3 nights, and the other nights we either went out or ate leftovers. It was a good balance for us - I didn't end up in the kitchen for hours every evening, and we were still able to enjoy some local cuisine, but we still enjoyed home-cooked leisurely meals in our beach house. What I cooked this year:

The BBQ pasta salad was one of my favorite dishes, and what's even better - I was able to eat the leftovers for lunch throughout the week. It's a step up from your basic creamy pasta salad. Barbecue sauce is added, as are some fun spices and flavors - cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic, hot sauce, scallions, and a little honey. And since I like a lot of "stuff" in my pasta salad, I added chopped onion, fresh corn, grape tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese. If you really want to get crazy you could sprinkle it with crumbled bacon before serving. It's a fun twist on the traditional, and often boring, pasta salad. And one that would definitely be well-received at a cookout this week!

3 ears of corn, cooked as desired (roasting or grilling is my method of choice), kernels cut off

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups quartered grape tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta and cook until almost tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool, then drain briefly, so that the pasta is still moist. Transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the onion, scallions, vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powered, cayenne, and honey. Let sit until the flavors are absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, and sit unitl the salad is no longer watery, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in the corn, cheese, and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper as needed, and serve.

Salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. If the salad becomes dry from sitting, stir in a few tablespoons of water or barbecue sauce just before serving.

Our family has a home in SGI - it's one of my favorite places on earth! I am going to make this pasta salad for a cookout tomorrow. I already have most of the ingredients! One question - how do I roast the corn? On the cob or kernels cut off? I have never roasted corn before. Thanks!

Our family has a home in SGI - it's one of my favorite places on earth! I am going to make this pasta salad for a cookout tomorrow. I already have most of the ingredients! One question - how do I roast the corn? On the cob or kernels cut off? I have never roasted corn before. Thanks!

Beautiful pics of your kids and the beach! I'm in Apalachicola/SGI right now :) We have been catching lots of grouper and snapper - i wish you were here to show me some creative ways to cook it! This pasta salad looks like it'd be great with grilled fish. Perfect for summertime-thanks for sharing!

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